Active pen, sensor controller, and position detection device

Abstract

An active pen communicates with a sensor controller using a series of time slots, to receive uplink signals from and transmit downlink signals to the sensor controller. The series of time slots are determined based on the reception timing, by the active pen, of an uplink signal used as a reference time. The active pen determines whether or not the uplink signal is received and, if yes, the active pen transmits a first downlink signal using a time within the series of time slots. If no, the active pen transmits a second downlink signal using both a time within the series of time slots and a time outside the series of time slots. The second downlink signal is formed by repeating a unit signal that is shorter in duration than each of the series of time slots, to ensure reception by the sensor controller of at least one unit signal.

Description

BACKGROUNDTechnical Field[0001]The present disclosure relates to an active pen, a sensor controller, and a position detection device. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to an active pen and a sensor controller that bidirectionally communicate with each other, and to a position detection device including such a sensor controller.Description of the Related Art[0002]There is known an active pen that is configured to receive an uplink signal from a sensor controller and transmit a downlink signal to the sensor controller. An example of this type of active pen is disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 6059410 (hereinafter, referred to as Patent Document 1).[0003]As is also described in Patent Document 1, the active pen is configured to transmit a downlink signal by using a time slot that is determined based on the reception timing of an uplink signal used as the reference time. Therefore, in order to permit the active pen to transmit the downlink signal, it is necessary that the...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0005]The present disclosure has been made in view of the above circumstances to provide an active pen and a sensor controller that are capable of preventing a situation where drawing based on pen input is stopped due to the active pen being unable to receive an uplink signal.

[0010]Even when the active pen fails to receive an uplink signal and to determine the temporal position of a time slot, the first aspect of the present disclosure enables the active pen to continuously transmit a downlink signal. Therefore, the first aspect of the present disclosure prevents a situation where drawing based on pen input is stopped due to a failure to receive the uplink signal.

[0011]According to the second aspect of the present disclosure, an uplink signal can be transmitted by an electromagnetic induction method. The electromagnetic induction method is less susceptible to noise than a capacitive coupling method. Therefore, the second aspect of the present disclosure prevents a situation where drawing based on pen input is stopped due to a failure to receive the uplink signal.

Problems solved by technology

However, noise such as a signal for driving display pixels may be superimposed on the uplink signal.

As a result, the active pen may fail to receive the uplink signal.

In such a case, drawing based on pen input may abruptly stop because the active pen becomes unable to transmit the downlink signal.

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